October 2019 - The Epidemiology Monitor

Page 1

Cause(s) Of Vaping Lung Injury Outbreak Still A Mystery Cases Considered A Public Health Crisis As Numbers Continue To Increase The outbreak of lung injury illness associated with the use of e-cigarettes or vaping products continues to increase each week and has reached 1,479 cases and 33 deaths as of midOctober, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “I can’t stress enough the seriousness of these lung injuries associated with the use of e-cigarette or vaping products. This is a critical issue…We are not seeing a meaningful drop-off in new cases,” said CDC’s Anne Schuchat speaking at a recent press telebriefing and a Congressional hearing. In fact, cases increased by 20% in just one

week in early October. This increase is occurring despite all the publicity about the vaping associated outbreak. Latest patterns So far the outbreak has been widespread involving 49 states, the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands. Cases have also been widespread across age groups ranging from 13-75 years. The median age of cases is 24 years. - Vape con't on page 2

In This Issue -3Vaping Outbreak Investigation -5Remembering John Last -8Notes on People

Measles Epidemiology Shows Striking Contrast Congo Outbreak Kills 4,000 Children - None in 2019 US Outbreak “Measles has caused so much damage in my village…there were deaths in almost every house. Some families have lost two, three, or even four children.” That’s how one resident of Kasai Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has described the impact of the ongoing measles October 2019

outbreak in the Congo, according to Doctors Without Borders. Measles virus in 2019 has provided a striking revelation of the difference between the current epidemiology of the disease in the US and a developing African country with different health systems and vaccination programs. - Measles cont'd on page 4 •

Volume Forty

Number Ten

-10Near Term Epidemiology Event Calendar -11Marketplace


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.